Claws of Rage

Chapter 3 - Mental breakdown

Tuesday 7.00PM

[The scene cuts to when Nicole has entered the Rainbow Factory. She notices she's very early and buys two sandwiches at the canteen. As she can't enter the office yet, she decides to settle in the lunchroom for a while. She turns on her laptop and starts working on it while eating one of her sandwiches. Suddenly she hears a known voice behind her. "Nicole?"

Nicole turns around and sees it's Mr. Yoshida, her boss.]

Nicole: Oh good evening, sir. What can I do for you?

Yoshida: Well, since you're one of our best employees, I'd like you to cooperate with someone who shows similar talents like you.

Nicole: Thank you, sir. Who will I be working with?

Yoshida: Brandon Scotths, he's quite new but will settle in soon.

[Mr. Yoshida steps aside when an average sized man walks towards them. He's an orange humanoid with black hair, building resemblance of the guard from Elmore Shopping. Some differences are that Brandon only has a thin moustache instead of a goatee and he wears a tight, black suit with a blue tie. Nicole's expression turns shocked for a moment as she realizes it's the new employee who she encountered yesterday.]

Brandon: Why so surprised, Watterson? You thought no one else could have similar talents like you?

[Nicole groans in annoyance but tries to force a smile on her face.]

Nicole: [Annoyed] Nice to meet you again, Brandon.

Brandon: I prefer 'Mr. Scotths', Watterson.

Nicole: All right, Scotths. So, where shall we settle for our tasks?

Yoshida: You both will receive more information about your cooperation later. Right now, it's time to start the nightshift.

Brandon: Good sir, I'll try to continue my paperwork as soon as possible this night, but could I take a small break right now?

Yoshida: Of course you can, take the time you need to settle up. The office has been opened, as I see it's close to half past seven now.

Nicole: Sir, could I please finish my sandwiches before I enter the office?

Yoshida: Duty calls, Nicole. Break time is over.

Nicole: But sir, I haven't had any dinner, I-

Yoshida: Nicole, the spreadsheets. I need them, so finish them.

[Yoshida walks away shamelessly while returning Nicole's sandwich bag to the canteen counter, where it gets chucked in the bin. He is a man of precise schedules and doesn't realise Nicole wasn't telling an excuse. She holds her head tightly as a headache starts acting up.]

Nicole: [Mumbles] Could this shift get any worse?

[She packs her laptop and takes the elevator to the floor where her office is. Extremely annoyed, she starts up her computer and puts the paperwork from her bag on her desk. Brandon walks by behind her and gives her a little push, so that she accidentally drops some papers. She tries to look Brandon angry in the eye, who is clearly waiting for a response from her. But instead she sighs and continues with what she was doing.]

Brandon: Not that feisty anymore, huh?

[Nicole freezes and gives him a stern look.]

Nicole: No, I indeed am not. I left my rage behind me as I want to become a better person, you know?

Brandon: That's way different than how you went berserk in that supermarket, don't you think?

[Nicole suddenly becomes silent and turns towards him while still sitting on her desk chair. She tilts her head.]

Nicole: How do you know about that?

Brandon: Easy, you might have been thinking you could keep it a secret, huh? Well, what about that poor guard you attacked?

Nicole: That guard... I-

Brandon: That guard is my brother, idiot. Can't you notice the resemblance? You attacked my own brother!

[Nicole realizes his similarities in look all make sense now. Her mind becomes restless as the event of the rampage gets recalled by her. Something she'd rather forget... Her pupils become constricted as she silently stares Brandon in the eye in disbelief.]

Brandon: [Immediately noticing Nicole's eyes] You see? You... monster!

[Nicole feels herself getting stressed again and starts to shiver a bit. And out of fear... out of remembrance of the events of The Limit... and due the tension in her body, her claws suddenly show themselves on her paws. Brandon notices this too and calls it.]

Brandon: Heh, I know you're in denial, but those claws don't indicate the spirit of a better person!

[Brandon sternly points at Nicole's paws as she looks at them herself.]

Brandon: You-

Nicole: Stop it already!

[She covers her eyes with her paws for a second.]

Brandon: What?

Nicole: I said stop! Can't you make me feel any worse about myself right now?!

[Nicole can't take it anymore and runs away to the nearest bathroom where she looks at herself in the mirror as she sheds some tears. She angrily bites on her claws, desperately trying to get rid of them, but obviously fails. She sits down on the floor with her back against the wall and cries for a while, burying her head in her knees.]